Forbidden
by Glowing Blue
Summary: As the surly God of the Dead, Natsume has never understood the concept of love, let alone "at first sight." But a fated encounter with Mikan has him infatuated with the demigoddess in an instant, and he does what he deems most appropriate: he kidnaps her. AU.
1. Chapter 1

So, I wanted to start this off by saying that I have always had a lasting fascination with Greek Mythology. But of all the stories I've heard, the Hades-Persephone relationship was always the most appealing to me. Rather than a forced kidnapping, however, I like to think of it as a sweet, eventually-mutual love story. Yeah, I've always been a romantic :)

And from that little note, I think you can all assume what this story will be about. I actually planned on writing this for _Bleach _as I always do, but in the end, I couldn't deny that Natsume and Mikan fit these roles too splendidly. With her liveliness and his constant "lone wolf" act, they could have been the Gods of Spring and Death themselves :D

Also, for those of you who are aware of the legends, you know that the Olympian family was a messed up tree of incest and distant relations. Each of them had strange connections with everyone else. Because of this – and for this story to work – I've taken a little liberty with familial relationships. I don't think it should bother anyone too much, though; this story is mostly focused on Natsume and Mikan, after all.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. **(Note that I will not be writing a disclaimer for the Greek legends, because I don't think religious beliefs are explicitly _owned _by anyone).

* * *

Tsubasa was not a happy camper.

Seated in his prestigious throne with his chin tucked in his hand, he drummed his fingers against the armrest, a pout planted so firmly on his face that it was obvious it had been fixed there since the early morning. The other gods shot him looks of anxiety or contempt, with a few pitying gazes thrown into the mix. Most were simply flat-out disapproving of his behavior, however, especially as his temper had caused them all to be called into a last-minute meeting about an issue that was hardly their problem.

The home of the gods rumbled so furiously that one would almost think they could _hear _the rumors flying through its walls. With their ears pressed against the grand entrance of the meeting hall, countless nymphs and stray messengers whispered to one another, hoping to overhear the content of the discussion taking place inside. Scandalous words were passed on by mouths giggling against eager ears, and everyone was in a titter about the shocking news of the day. After all, it wasn't often that the gods had to hold a meeting over a simple demigoddess.

"I don't like this," the raven-haired god inside finally growled, straightening in his seat and folding his arms. The others shuffled in their own thrones, rolling their eyes at his words or simply sighing wearily.

"No one says you have to," Tono spoke up, tugging at his hair and looking extremely bored by the whole matter. Jinno shot him a nasty look for it, though he ignored him in favor of fixing his old friend with a frustrated stare. "You're getting too bent out of shape. This has nothing to do with you, anyway."

"Nothing to do with me!" Tsubasa blew up, red in the face from the enraging declaration. "This is _my_ sister we're talking about –"

"Don't go acting like you're a saint of a brother," Misaki piped up, picking at her nails as she did so. "You hardly ever see her as it is, so stop thinking you can control her life."

"I make time to go see her every month," he defended himself with a huff. "Which is more than I can say for _some_ people."

His eyes strayed towards Imai, who ignored the blatant taunt. It wasn't as if it was unusual for him to act so detached with his own sister and hardly see her; none of the gods could be considered close with their direct families. In fact, Tsubasa's family was certainly unorthodox in that aspect. While the others paid no mind to anyone besides themselves and kept to their own affairs, they had actually maintained a strong connection throughout the years, despite their origins and rocky history.

Yuka and Izumi, both gods from birth and deeply in love with each other at first sight, had sired their first child only years after their marriage. Tsubasa had been born into great power, and he'd taken over his role as an almighty being splendidly. Misaki and Tono had joined his small circle not soon after, and despite their contrasting domains, their friendship had lasted many centuries.

But tragedy struck when Yuka had been stripped of her powers by a spell gone awry, and she'd banished herself to the land of the mortals in shame. Izumi had followed her without question, and their only son had been trusted to live his life freely with the other gods while the two began a new adventure in an ordinary world. The young boy had taken everything in stride, willingly moving in with Nodacchi, the unstable God of Time, to lessen their burdens.

Hundreds of years into the future, news arrived that his parents had been blessed with yet another child. Hīmemiya, the Goddess of Fertility and Childbirth, revealed that their excessive prayers to her domain had succeeded in winning her favor, and she had gifted them with a beautiful little girl. Enclosed with the picture of a baby with a tuft of hair colored brown had been a small note, introducing Tsubasa to his newest sibling: Sakura Mikan, rightfully named as the pending Goddess of Spring. He couldn't have been more proud, and the raven-haired God of the Shadows took to brotherhood excitedly, despite hardly ever seeing his sister as they lived in two different realms.

But Mikan, they soon discovered, had turned out..._differently _than anyone could have predicted – except maybe for Hotaru, the Goddess of Knowledge, of course. Things didn't seem so strange at first, so nothing was discovered until she had well passed her toddler years. In fact, the bubbly girl had just reached the age of ten when, while attempting to climb a tree to prove to the boys in her neighborhood that girls were just as capable as men, she slipped on a branch and twisted her ankle after landing on the hard ground below. The injury took weeks to recover, and Izumi and Yuka came to the terrifying realization that their daughter had not been granted the power of accelerated healing that all gods possessed.

Eleven years had passed since that fateful day, and the family had come to accept that their newest member might never fully become a part of the world of the gods. Yuka's powerless state had stunted her chance at potential herself, and the mighty blood rushing through her veins from Izumi's powers did little to make up for such a drastic lack. The gods had resigned themselves to accepting that the girl would always be nothing more than a demigoddess, so enticingly close to power yet unable to fully harness it. So she remained in the human world, content with life without godly status because she had never known different.

Tsubasa, however, had always made it a point to visit the human world each month so that his sister would not forget him. But his life stayed in his own world, apart from the rest of his family. The arrangement had never posed problems before, but now, he wished more than anything that he was with her, so he could protect Mikan from what the Fates had in store for her shaky future.

And it was all Natsume's fault.

"That's enough," Yukihira suddenly interrupted the brewing arguments in the throne room. He fixed his calculating eyes on Tsubasa, shooting him a look of warning. "Your complete lack of control is only a disturbance to our realm. Nothing has befallen Mikan as of yet, so you are ordered to fall back and hold your temper. Understand?"

Tsubasa spluttered in protest, aghast that even the God of all Gods would take this matter lightly. She was his niece, too! Did they not care that his very own _baby sister _could quite possibly be in danger? She required protection – _his _protection – and he seethed that not one person in the room was willing to side with him and go to her aid. Cursing Natsume furiously under his breath, he shot his uncle a heated glare.

"Mikan needs help!" he argued, ignoring the outrage his blatant disrespect caused among the others. "She's not even expecting anything to come at her, so her guard will be down. Who's to say _Natsume" –_ he spat out the name like it was acid on his tongue – "won't try something?"

His superior shook his head. "Hyuuga is not a brash man. He knows the troubles that will follow him should he act on his impulsive desires. I am confident that he would never attempt anything so impudent as to actively target your sister."

**.. ღ ..**

At that very moment, as the gods discussed her fate, Mikan wandered back to her apartment after a class at the university. Her bag was slung carelessly over her shoulder, and she paid it no mind even as it repeatedly collided with her back. Instead, her bored gaze was fixed on the same old scenery she always looked upon on her path home. The flowers were in bloom, and the potted plants people had set out on their patios really spruced up the area. Considering her lively domain, this was usually a cause of celebration for the young demigoddess, who would gladly use her minute yet existing powers to secretly sprout yet more flowers.

But now, she had to stifle a yawn as her eyes trailed over each of them. She'd seen it all before, and she was growing quite bored of all this routine. Couldn't something exciting happen in her life for once? With the way each of her days passed exactly like the one before it, even the fact that her family originated from a godly world did nothing to excite the repetitive cycle that was her life. And since they'd discovered that she had not been granted the same magnitude of power as other gods, her parents had become exceedingly controlling of her life – well, her mother more than anyone, as she blamed herself. Yuka shadowed her every move with concern, afraid that just the slightest slip-up would send her packing to the dreaded Underworld.

Such resignation that she felt presently had never been part of her cheerful personality, but Mikan was exhausted from attempting to fight her mother over everything, only to end up with a stale lifestyle she wanted so desperately to change. And even her father, who she would have thought might side with her, always allied with Yuka, both out of love for his wife and concern for his daughter. It was enough for Mikan to wish for some sort of break from the norm; even a small disturbance would be appreciated in her books, considering she had lived such a sheltered life that she had never truly _experienced _the world. Her friends spoke of all the wonderful adventures they had been through, and all Mikan could offer was the time she had twisted her ankle by falling from a tree, because her life afterwards had always been nervously shadowed by her family. Just thinking of the pathetic thing that was her existence had her fighting back tears.

With a groan, she threw her head back and let out a frustrated scream to the sky. "Why can't anything ever _happen _around here!"

And just then, as if to answer her prayers, the world cracked in two. Quite literally.

Mikan's mouth fell open, and she dropped her bag as she gaped at the sight. But she ignored such a trivial matter as a large split appeared in the road before her, shaking the ground violently. She stumbled, falling back against a wall weakly as the crack began to spread, pulling the path apart. An ominous, red light shined through from underneath, and her overworking heart practically stopped beating.

Something flew out of the broken seam in the path. It happened so fast that her almost-human eyes missed the movement, but her ears definitely picked up the rush of the wind, and she noticed the shadow looming on the wall. But before she could react, something had grabbed her around the waist and jerked her harshly into the ground along with it. She only caught sight of a flash of fluttering black robes and something crimson before the world closed up above her, leaving her trapped inside.

The only sign that she had been there at all was her bag, discarded on the side of the deserted road.

**.. ღ ..**

She was beautiful. Truly magnificent, Natsume mused with a content satisfaction, and now she was his.

Unable to resist, especially as she was asleep and unaware, he reached out a hesitant, gloveless hand to her glistening hair. Taking a small tuft in between his finger and thumb, he marveled at the softness of her locks. But the childish ponytails were too unappealing for his ancient tastes, and he mentally vowed that before long he would convince her to let them down – for him.

She stirred slightly, probably sensing the disturbance in her hair, and he immediately pulled back his hand. Despite his jerked reaction, she did not awaken, but he stepped away from her nonetheless as he felt someone stepping closer to his room in the hallway. As he had expected, a soft knock sounded at the door not soon after, and he sensed the same familiar presence before she even entered at his permission.

"My lord," Sumire breathed, shutting the door behind her softly. Her eyes flitted to the distance between him and his captive – close enough to imply a previous connection, but far enough to reveal that he had turned away because of her appearance – and she grimaced. "Is this her?"

Rather than answer, the God of the Underworld simply carried on with his own tasks silently. He slipped off his second glove and set them on the table, reaching for a tangerine that a servant had brought to him earlier. Ignoring Sumire, as he so often did, he set to work on peeling the fruit.

Sumire watched him with narrowed eyes, debating whether it would even be worth it to kick up a fuss at his lack of reception. Then again, such treatment was nothing but normal on his part, as much as she loathed to admit it. Their ruler had never particularly spared much thought to others. Not until this Mikan girl, of course.

Her curiosity overtaking her, the Goddess of Witchcraft stepped slightly closer to the bed, hoping to catch a better view of this mysterious girl who could apparently captivate even the most soulless man in practically all of the world. She sniffed haughtily, however, when she came across the drab and horribly plain woman unconscious in her master's bedroom. _This_ was the girl he had jostled the entire Underworld for? For days they'd all watched him agonize over her, secretly planning out their first encounter and possibly the rest of their lives together. Even Ruka had proved to be unsuccessful in diverting his attentions or shaking sense into him, and that alone had sparked everyone's interest in this exotic beauty that had snagged his heart. But what lay before her was nothing more than a child, one who had yet to lose her juvenile looks and hairstyle. Needless to say, Sumire was beyond disappointed.

"Shouda," Natsume called over to her quietly, and though his voice sounded as detached as it always did, she caught the slight undertone of rage hidden beneath. With a gulp, she turned to find that her King watched her with narrowed slits for eyes, looking menacing even as he slowly swallowed a piece of tangerine.

"Y-yes, my lord?" she stuttered, smoothing out her skirts and hoping to cake her words with a hint of innocence. Of course, the action did nothing to preserve her character, as Natsume was already aware of the horrible misdeeds in her past that had forever tainted her persona.

"You will not look at my betrothed in such a way again," he ordered, the harsh words sounding more like a threat. Obviously he had caught the disapproval in her gaze, and Sumire cursed inwardly for having allowed her emotions to show. Still furious, if the tight line of his lips was any indication, he warned her, "You will show respect to your future Queen."

"Understood," the goddess mumbled, bowing low in a curtsy to save face. With apologies on her tongue, she scurried to the door, hoping to make an escape before she did anything else to upset him. After all, he seemed exceedingly touchy when it came to this Mikan girl, and she was unsure of what would set him off.

"Oh, and Shouda?" Natsume added, catching her just before she exited. His gaze remained fixed on the girl on his bed, but his voice was icy cold. "Do not dare speak of her to another, or I won't let you off so easily." And from the corner of his eyes, he shot her a glare so lethal that, rather than answer, she scrambled out to the hall without another word.

Once he was alone with his future bride again, Natsume finally allowed himself to relax. Running a hand through his hair, he swallowed the last of his tangerine, enjoying the tangy flavor. He'd always hated the fruit for all those centuries he had lived, but since learning of the sprightly Goddess of Spring, he'd found a new appreciation for its taste. And he'd discovered that it was her favorite as well, which was why he had gone to such great lengths to grow them in his otherwise dead kingdom, hoping that something familiar would coax her into appreciating this foreign place. He hoped that it would make her smile.

"Natsume..." Someone's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts, and the King of the Underworld snapped out of his daze in shock. How had he not sensed him approach when he was always so careful to keep a lookout on his surroundings? Mikan had just somehow stolen all his attention without even trying.

"Ruka," he returned, attempting to cover up his blunder by keeping his voice steady. He had a feeling he didn't fool his friend, however, because he smiled in the mysterious way one did when they had learned of a precious secret. Scowling at having been found out so easily, he almost snapped, "What do you need? Shouldn't you be at the river, ferrying people across?"

"The souls are dwindling," Ruka replied with a shake of his blond head. "A small break would do no harm. The dead have an endless amount of time ahead of them, after all."

Natsume simply grunted in reply, seeing the logic behind his words. And he would never berate his old friend, who had followed him to this dreary Underworld heedlessly, for taking a well-deserved rest. He didn't take enough of them, in the god's opinion, what with his determined work ethic and dedication to helping anyone who had passed onto the afterlife.

Since their first arrival to the land of the dead, Ruka had taken over the task of transporting souls across the river Styx. His work played an important part in easing the transition from life to death. The otherwise treacherous body of water would be impossible for a mere human to cross safely, so Ruka had spotted the danger for others and taken up the job of ferryman. In return, he asked for nothing but two gold coins in return, and not even just for himself; because tradition now stated that the family of the dead placed the payment inside the mouth of the deceased, when a soul arrived with the correct fee, it was a comfort to them that their family had finally accepted their fate and moved on. Sometimes it was amazing how much his old friend was willing to do for others. Natsume could never hope to mirror Ruka's compassionate nature, so he was content with simply staying side-by-side.

Ruka glanced towards the bed quickly, also unable to resist the temptation of finally seeing his friend's betrothed in person. Unlike Sumire, however, his eyes softened at the sight of her ponytails and childish features. "She's pretty," he commented, grinning encouragingly.

"I saw her first," was Natsume's instant reply. It was partly in jest, but his oldest companion could never have missed the possessive tone behind the teasing words. He immediately held his hands to his chest in surrender.

"Of course," he assured him. "I simply wanted to commend your taste."

Once again, Natsume relaxed, this time more easily because the two people he cared for most were in the room with him. As much as he loathed admitting it, he was indebted to Tsubasa for bringing him towards this enchanting goddess in his room. He would never even have learned of her if not for her brother, after all, who had introduced him through a picture. He never made trips to the land above more than a handful of times in a century, so he could never have even known about her existence otherwise.

It was stroke of luck and a little help from the Fates that even guided him towards Mikan, pushing him to act and secure the girl for himself before any other man dared to take her. He'd only stepped into the world of the living for a quick word with Tono, whom he'd learned had been having a secret affair with one of the more physically appealing souls to recently pass into his realm. Somehow the youngster had managed to sneak in multiple times to court her, escaping under his radar. As King of the Underworld, it was Natsume's duty to keep a balance between the living and the dead, meaning he could not allow their rendezvous to continue any longer. He'd marched to the home of the gods with a purpose, only to find Tsubasa flashing a picture brightly to anyone who was willing to listen to his blathering.

"My baby sister just turned twenty-one!" he announced with brotherly pride, and Natsume paused in his quest to raise incredulous eyebrows. He was not aware there were gods who bothered counting birthdays, considering their immortality. And the shadow bastard had a sister?

He was all set to offer a snide comment as he usually did when these pathetic gods acted so much like mortals. But then he managed to glimpse at the photo in his hand, and his heart skipped a beat. In fact, his entire universe just _stopped _for a moment, and when it started up again, it revolved solely around this girl.

She was amazing. In all of his life, he had never witnessed a creature more beautiful, more captivating, or more worthy of becoming his Queen. Something stirred inside of him at his first sight of her, and he was overwhelmed with a desire to _protect_, to keep her from any harm that could befall her in any way. He needed to make her his.

"Your sister," he spoke up quietly, catching Tsubasa's attention. "I have never heard of her."

And so Tsubasa gladly explained his sister's history, how she was neither a full god nor immortal, how she lived her life in the mortal world as a regular human, how she had obtained only a minuscule portion of her powers as a goddess of Spring. Not once did it cross his mind that someone, least of all the God of Death, could have an ulterior motive for learning of his sister – not until a messenger god overheard his plans of kidnapping and anxiously brought the news to the others.

The more Natsume heard of her bubbly personality, the deeper he was convinced that she was the one for him. She was his foil, able to offer a compassionate hand to others that he was not capable of. Even if the Underworld was not a place for a delicate flower such as her to live in, he was convinced that with her there, it could become one. She was fragile, not gifted with immortality, and he wanted nothing more than to protect her. And now that she was finally his, he could do so.

Even if he would have to bare the brunt of the world himself, he planned on never letting her go.

But she'd passed out not long after he had pulled her underground with him, most likely from the shock. Since then, her condition had seemed unstable; she had not moved once – not even a twitch, aside from that moment he had touched her hair – nor had she made a single peep of noise. It frightened him slightly, and at first, he could not shake the worry that he might have…_killed _her. But simply residing in the Underworld was not enough to end a mortal life, so his worries escalated into fear of an undetected illness or an otherworldly phenomenon.

"She hasn't awakened yet," he murmured, hooking a finger and stroking her soft cheek once. He suddenly gave Ruka a sharp look, silently demanding answers. The ferryman shook his head with humor, amazed how frazzled one girl could make him when he was typically so cool and collected.

"You know as well as I do that the Underworld is a kingdom completely different from the living realm," he softly reprimanded his unusually absentminded friend. The air was thicker here, harder to breathe, and it made one's chest feel heavy and strained. "She's only taking time to adjust. At least give her until this evening."

"Of course," Natsume breathed, partly in relief and partly in self-disapproval. He didn't bat an eyelash at her shallow breathing afterwards, nor the sweat coating her forehead. Instead, he took up a seat beside her on the bed, watching her with a cool detachment that hid his concern well. Ruka was used to this side of him – he had been on the receiving end of it many times, after all – so he understood that his friend simply needed time alone with his guest, to watch over her and reassure himself that she was truly all right. And he could never do that comfortably with someone else in the room, even _if _it was his childhood companion.

"I'll be heading back to my post now," he spoke up into the silence, already making a beeline for the door to give them their privacy. Natsume looked up at him briefly in surprise, though he made no moves to stop him. "I'm sure the souls are missing my presence at this point."

"Join us for dinner tonight," Natsume ordered stoically, but underneath the authoritative tone, Ruka was well aware that it was simply a sincere offer, one that he was free to refuse if he chose to. At the same time, it was a silent reassurance that he could never be replaced in the god's eyes, even if he had finally found a woman to call his own. Ruka had always admired that silent, protective part of his friend – the part that watched out for him unconditionally, even though he was uncomfortable with showing emotions.

"Of course," he returned kindly, a grin overtaking his face.

"And," Natsume added, his tone suddenly grave. He looked up from his lady for a brief moment, fixing the ferryman with a knowing stare. "Don't let any of the gods across the river."

Ruka chuckled, rolling his eyes. "You didn't even have to say it."

Just before he shut the door behind him, he noticed how Natsume had already inched closer to the goddess, finally at ease now that he was as close as he had truly wanted to be.

**.. ღ ..**

Mikan delved into consciousness slowly, keenly aware of the pressure on her chest. It was difficult to breathe in, as if something had blocked both her nose and mouth. But she found that the more she tried, the easier it became.

Slowly, she fluttered open her eyes, feeling her lashes tickle her skin from the action. Her vision blurred, and she vaguely attributed it to the deathly absence of light around her. The room she was in was dark, and the only source of light seemed to be a fireplace nearby, if the twisting orange shapes on the ceiling were any indication. She was quite sure that, the last she remembered, she had been on a sunlit path home from school.

Her breath hitched in fear, suddenly alert and aware that she was not where she should have been. Instead, she was in this foreign place, and if she thought through her pounding head, she recalled a memory of a darkly cloaked figure grabbing her and pulling her away to someplace unknown.

_Oh, gods, _she whimpered weakly in her mind, feeling her eyes sting with frightened tears. _I've been kidnapped. This is the end for me._

Oddly enough, however, she was extremely comfortable for a captive. She felt her back pressed against a wonderfully soft mattress, covered in sheets so fine they could only have been silk. And her body had not been bound against anything in an attempt to hold her in place. A wiggle of her arms proved that, and she twisted her mouth in confusion. _Where am I?_

"Finally awake, I see," somebody suddenly broke through the silence, and she jerked in shock. The voice was quiet yet tinted with a masculine roughness; it was an attractive sound, without a doubt, and she felt herself flushing just from the sound of it. It was an absolutely ridiculous notion, yet she had always been a blubbering fool around appealing men.

With the tiny strength she could still muster, she tilted her chin to lift her head and tentatively looked around the room. Next to the bed, standing straight and sullen, a young man looked down at her, his lips thin and his eyes aflame. She gulped heavily when she noticed how _beautiful _he was, if such a word was appropriate to use when describing such an obviously hardy man. Beneath the royal robes, she spied a muscular figure, and just a glimpse of it made her face heat up in embarrassment.

But his most gorgeous features were his eyes, she decided. They were a pretty crimson, so fiery yet darkened with wisdom. They were both youthful and aged, as if he had seen things incomprehensible by someone having lived her brief years of life. But his gaze was passionate, and he looked at her as if she was the only thing that mattered in this world – in life _and _afterlife. She suppressed a pleased shudder from the intensity of his gaze, forcing herself to focus on more important matters.

Her lips were chapped, and she ran her tongue over them slowly before choking out a hoarse whisper. "Who are you?"

He bent closer to her, giving her a perfect view of his breathtaking face. Each line of his jaw was hard, set under pink lips that seemed to have tightened over the years from lack of smiling. She couldn't help but take notice of the maturity radiating from his stoic face as he introduced himself.

"Hyuuga Natsume, Lord of the Underworld. And your future husband."

* * *

Hooray for cliffhangers! Anyway, as you will notice, I have already made slight changes to the legend. For one, it takes place in a modern setting, and I changed the famous fruit from a pomegranate to a tangerine (it seemed appropriate, considering Mikan is the main character). I'll probably continue to change details like that, since the myth is not very specific about what happens in the Underworld.

To be honest, I partly put this up because I can be a very anal person, meaning it was killing me that I had nineteen stories published instead of a more round number, like twenty. :P The other reason – as much as it saddens me to admit it – is that I feel like I need a small break from _Bleach. _I want to explore a different array of characters, as well as write about one of my other favorite couples.

This story will be five chapters, and I will try my best to keep to that number. The entire story is planned and I have parts from future chapters written, so as long as I don't add a major plot line at the last second, it shouldn't be so hard to stick to my planning. I hope. Also, the only couple will be Natsume x Mikan (aside from the brief Izumi x Yuka, but they're canon and unavoidable now).

Next chapter: Mikan has a spazz attack. :D (Well, wouldn't you)? Also, proper introductions and a very uncomfortable dinner.

Sorry for the super long ANs, but let me know what you thought. This fandom is fairly new to me, after all, so I want to make sure I'm doing an okay job so far. :)


	2. Chapter 2

So, I'm finally back with chapter 2! Before we begin, I just want take the time to thank all of you wonderful people who added this story to you favorites/alerts list. And I want to give a special thank you to those of you who reviewed :D You made me so happy! There were, however, some of you who did so anonymously, so I couldn't reply to your wonderful words. So I'd like to do so now :)

**Shattered Doll:** Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying this so far. And now you don't have to wait any more!

**Suigintou: **Oh, wow, thank you! Saying that my story is 'unique' is really one of the best compliments you could have given me :) I've always felt that half the fun of a story is discovering that it's something new, so that it's not completely boring or unpredictable, you know?

**l: **Well, I don't know if you consider ten days 'soon,' but I have finally brought you another chapter ;)

**cali bernardez: **First of all, I want to thank you for giving this story a chance despite your first impression :) And it's true that the GA cast fits these roles perfectly! It's almost scary :P Anyway, you don't have to apologize at all for giving me such helpful criticism. The truth is that I know you're right; I've always been horrible at summaries, probably because I like to keep them short. But since you think it's an issue, I will seriously try to think of a better one. Hmmm, do you have any ideas?

So, now that everyone has been answered, let's get on with the chapter! Just to warn you, though, it's quite a bit longer than the first ^_^

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters.**

* * *

Tobita Yuu had just finished properly dressing for dinner. He was only taking a moment to shine his glasses on his robes when a maid came bursting into his room, out of breath and looking extremely haggard. He gaped at her in frightened shock, taking in her rat's nest for hair and bugging eyes.

"Lord Natsume requires your presence in his bedroom immediately!" she exclaimed with a shrill cry, on edge about something obviously very serious.

Tobita wasted no time in heeding to her words, ignoring the _swish _of his cloak as he raced down the halls of their King's dead mansion. It seemed to him that the closer he ran to the bedroom, the more maids he saw in a similarly roughened state as the first. And before he had even made it inside the room, he received an explanation in the form of a horrified, decidedly female cry that carried down the hall.

"No! _No, _you're lying. Take it back." The previously bold voice suddenly disappeared, and while stationed just outside the door, Tobita heard it change into a broken whisper. "Please? _Please_, take it back."

"Tobita," a deep voice called from inside, sounding calm yet strained nonetheless. He recognized it as their King and jumped at the sudden summons. Nothing escaped Lord Natsume, especially in the Underworld. "Come inside."

Fidgeting nervously at having come across such a scene, the God of Dreams hesitantly opened the doors, peeking inside cautiously before fully stepping in. The sight before him was not one he was prepared for; a pretty young girl sat sprawled on his master's bed, clutching the sheets in terror as tears streamed down her cheeks endlessly. Natsume stood at the foot of the bed, his lips pursed as he watched this foreign woman cry. He did not spare a glance to Tobita when he entered, even when addressing him directly.

"Show her an illusion," he ordered stoically. "Something nice, soothing." After a moment of thought, he added, "Make it a meadow, brimming with..._life_." His face twisted at the word, and Tobita imagined a flash of pain passing through his eyes.

With a squeak, the god hastened to do as he was told. Approaching the bed, he clapped his hands together, using all of his might to transfer his powers into the mind of this young girl. As the God of Dreams, he had initially always thought he could do no more than effect others as they dozed. But Natsume had taught him to harness that power and create mighty illusions, even to someone awake and alert. It could be used as a deadly weapon if one wished it so, but Tobita had always been a peaceful god, content with using his powers for good rather than evil.

Instantaneously with his powers, the crying stopped, and the girl's whimpering fell silent. Natsume gave it a moment, unsure of whether he should approach her and possibly risk harming her, but eventually walked around the bed to her side. Her eyes had glazed over, and she stared off into the distance unconsciously, watching a reality that had never existed in the first place. More confident of himself now, he reached out a hand to her tiny frame, tugging her head to lay it against his chest. Tobita watched with red cheeks as the King pressed his lips to her ear intimately, his eyes hard with concern.

"Mikan," he spoke to her with a gentleness his subordinate had never known him to possess. It was a strangely private moment, even if the ruler paid no mind to him standing in the room, and he turned to give them their moment of solitude. "Mikan, listen to me. There is nothing you can do now. Once you enter the Underworld, there is no way to leave without my permission." He closed his eyes for a moment, bracing himself for the cruel, selfish words he had to say next. "And I refuse to let you go. Resign yourself to your fate, Mikan. You are my wife-to-be, and you will forever be my kingdom's Queen."

The girl slumped against the mattress, using his chest for support as her posture sagged in defeat. Her eyes were still clouded over, but the words had obviously penetrated the vision she was trapped in. Natsume wrapped his strong arms around her torso, keeping her steady while he fixed Tobita's back with a leveled glare.

"Release her," he commanded, and the bespectacled boy jumped as he complied with his wishes.

Unlike when she had first awakened slowly and peacefully, Mikan felt herself being forcefully jerked out of her daydream. It had been a most wonderful experience to wake to a field of fresh grass and hundreds of flowers. The meadow had smelled of life itself, comforting her terrified emotions and soothing her into a state of unguarded bliss. And then that awful voice had resonated through the skies, and she felt as if each word slapped her in the face, reminding her of her true reality. Oddly enough, however, she found that she could not truly appreciate the horrifying message in those words. For some reason, her mind remained elated in that fresh field, though she couldn't shake the feeling that the emotion was being forced upon her, that it was not how she truly felt. It was only when she awakened that the fear and fury of reality properly settled in. She was disgusted to learn that she was cuddled in the jerk's arms.

"Let go of me!" she screeched, violently pushing him away as her eyes moistened from a fresh batch of tears. Natsume watched her indifferently, his lips a thin line of contempt. Still shaken up, Mikan could do nothing more than plead to her captor, "Why are you doing this?"

_Because I love you._

The answer was right on his tongue, so close to slipping out that it almost burned. But he choked them back. There would come a day when he would say them to her, but not when she was so torn up and rash like this. She was not ready to hear them yet.

"Get cleaned up," he ordered instead, ignoring her question and heading for the door. "A maid will bring you a change of clothes, something fitting of your new status. You will be having dinner with me this evening."

And pretending he couldn't hear her frightened whimpering from behind him, he swiftly departed for the dining hall.

**.. ღ ..**

Mikan watched him go, this man who had so cruelly ripped her away from this world. His back was broad, and at any other time, she would have found it a comforting trait. But not on her kidnapper. Instead, it only made her feel that much smaller, and she felt herself trembling as he left her behind.

Only hours ago she had been safe, free, unaware of what was coming next. Her mother often spoke of the Fates when she was young – the three sisters who controlled the lives of every being in existence. With that abundant innocence she'd possessed as a child, she'd always claimed that as a Fate, she would do nothing but lead people to good fortune and plentiful cheer; at the time that had meant groves of unicorns and colorful rainbows, but she truly did wish for everyone to encounter nothing but happiness. But this cruel fate of hers, which had most likely been decided from birth, was the farthest from good fortune she could imagine.

And it was all Natsume's fault.

She wallowed in her self-pity, too distraught to even bother holding her head high and making the most of this situation. In only half a day, she had been stripped from the wonderful life she knew, dragged to the fiery pits of the dreaded Underworld, and forced into a marriage with her alleged kidnapper, whose life consisted of dealing with grief-stricken souls and banishing them to the depths of Tartarus. Even her pathetically boring existence was welcome now, as long as she knew that she was secure and unconstrained.

Tobita watched this young girl – Mikan, his master had called her – with a helpless feeling gnawing at his core. She looked so pitiful and alone that he wished he could reach out and wrench away all of her troubles, maybe provide her an escape with his liberating illusions. But she sat so withdrawn that he was afraid to approach her in any way, even without any intent to harm. He didn't want to frighten the girl.

Finally, the god decided that it might be best if he left her to her own devices. Lord Natsume had not explicitly ordered him to stay and watch over her, and it was quite possibly in both their self interests if they did not interact any more than necessary. He was sure that, right now, he would be nothing more than a cruel reminder of this world she now lived in, so he turned to leave her in peace. However, he'd only just made it to the door himself when a shy voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Why do you stay here?" Mikan asked quietly, her voice low and expectant. He turned in shock, only to find that she was still situated on the bed, watching him gravely as she awaited his answer. Tobita scratched the back of his neck, rather stunned by the expression on such a pretty face and unsure of how to answer.

"Because Lord Natsume is good to me," he finally decided, speaking carefully so as not to offend her in anyway. At her shocked response, he went on to explain, "He's never been a purposely cruel person, even if he rules over the Underworld. Lord Natsume helped me to discover the true extent of my powers when everyone else only saw me as worthless." Setting his lips in a grim line, he added, "And my domain is shrouded in darkness. Dreams flourish best when it's night, after all, and I am allowed to stay here freely so I can fully harness my powers." His voice softened as he smiled at her sincerely. "It was out of the goodness of his heart."

Mikan still looked unconvinced, and she bit her lip as she wiped at the dirty streaks of dried tears on her face. The trembling had ceased, but he could still see the fear shrouding her eyes, as well as her guarded posture. She was not yet ready to trust his master, no matter how kindly he might treat her. It was to be expected considering the circumstances that had brought them together, but Tobita wished sincerely that Lord Natsume might succeed in the end, so _both _could find happiness with each other.

A group of maids bustled into the room soon after, tripping over their own feet to serve Natsume's honored guest – who could quite possibly be their future Queen. They nervously pulled her away from the bed, bound by a tight schedule and afraid of sending her off to dinner late. Natsume behaved indifferently to many things in life, but incurring his wrath was a frightening promise of death.

They pulled her into the large, walk-in closet, ignoring her faint protests as they rushed to straighten out her evening gown for supper. Tobita had already departed to give them their privacy, so Mikan fought back helplessly by herself, at a loss of how to react to such a royal treatment. No one in her life had ever hastened to do anything for her, even if she held the title of demigoddess, and though she desired nothing more than to kick them all out, she was also unsure of whether such an act would be offensive to the workers.

But finally, when one of the maids pulled down her skirt without so much as a warning, she gave a loud squeak and pushed them all away.

"I can dress myself!" she argued, a horrid flush blossoming on her cheeks. The maids simply eyed her disapprovingly, and the one who had undressed her clucked her tongue at the sight of her undergarments.

"Polka dots simply won't do," she tutted, much to Mikan's humiliation. "Lord Natsume's tastes are much more exquisite than that. In order to please him–"

"I don't _want _to please him!" she shrieked in horror, snatching the evening gown and wrapping it around her exposed legs. Her face had undoubtedly changed color to match her red cheeks, and she felt her knees go weak from the sheer embarrassing thought.

The maid gaped at her as if she'd just sprouted a different language. "How else will you consummate your marriage?"

With another frightened squeak, Mikan just forced them out of the closet, ignoring their questions and concerns in favor of a moment of isolation. After shutting the doors and blocking out all the noise, she stood breathing heavily in the changing room, listening to the maids scuffling around outside as she attempted to calm her heart. She'd only just _met _the jerk! There would be _no _marriage, and absolutely_ no_ consummation of any sort. Had he gone around telling others of their supposed wedding night to come?

The evening gown slipped from her legs, and she automatically picked it up, fingering the fine, black fabric. It was a soft dress that felt absolutely wonderful against her skin, and it reminded her of those silk bedsheets she had sat on mere moments ago. Gingerly holding it out in front of her, she found that it was actually a very beautiful garment, adorned with small jewels around the collar and very much a modern design. Considering the ancient history of the Underworld, she could only assume he had gone out of his way to purchase a dress more familiar to her recent tastes.

As much as Mikan wanted to toss the dress to the ground, stomp on it repeatedly, and show that jerk just how she felt towards him and his gift, her feminine side won out in the end. The garment was too gorgeous for her to resist, and she'd never dressed in anything so fine. Still slightly hesitant, she slipped out of her previous clothes and cautiously adorned the dress. After carefully flattening out any creases or folds, she peered at herself in the mirror.

_It's...nice_, she reluctantly admitted, though inside she was dancing with glee at how _breathtaking _it was. Having never worn anything so formal before, she had no idea how flattering it could be for one's figure – even a stick figure body like hers. She flushed, however, when she realized it was her exact size and measurements. _How did that pervert know?_

"Mikan-sama!" the maids outside suddenly hollered, banging on the doors. They sounded extremely flustered, and she got her answer as to why when they continued. "You're almost later for supper! Please, let us finish dressing you."

She scowled deeply, her eyebrows set with a stubborn determination. "I'm not going to dinner with that jerk!" she yelled back, crossing her arms defiantly.

She heard loud gasps from outside. "How can you say such a thing?" one of them demanded, and she winced when she heard the outrage in her voice. "You should be honored that young master has invited you to dine with him. It has been _centuries _since he has deemed any woman worthy of being his honored guest, as well as showered her with attention so privileged."

"He _kidnapped _me," she shot back incredulously. Surely they couldn't be suggesting that she overlook all of his crimes? In the mortal realm, such acts would be charged with horrendous penalties, no matter who the perpetrator. It shouldn't matter that this Natsume was their king, for she was unwillingly at his mercy. He could be planning all sorts of torture for her!

Someone sniffed disapprovingly. "If you were being as difficult as you are now, I can understand why," she heard them mutter before another maid shushed her quickly, and her jaw dropped. Why wouldn't anyone sympathize with her?

Finally, a worker who sounded much kinder than the others spoke up, attempting to reason with her. "Mikan-sama, we understand that you're very upset right now, but please let us do our work. Lord Natsume expects only the best out of us, and if you arrive late, we just wouldn't be able to bear his disappointment."

When she said it in such a way, Mikan couldn't help but feel like the bad guy in this situation. Which was completely unfair! She had done nothing wrong, yet those words tugged at her tender heart strings. If any of these girls were punished or even let go because of her stubbornness, even _if _she didn't think the world of them right now, she would only feel horribly guilty for probably the rest of her life for not preventing it. She always had been more keen on other's feelings, no matter how much her brother would worry and advise her against it.

"Fine..." Taking a deep, reassuring breath, Mikan finally opened the closet door and stepped out, acting as if she were walking on a land mine. The maids paused in their antics to gape at her, in awe not only because of her surrender to their pleas, but over how much a simple dress could change a person. But they came to their senses only moments later, and she had to endure agonizing minutes of extreme prepping.

As she repeatedly refused their suggestions of more racy undergarments but relented to letting her hair down in return, Mikan could only hope that at the least she wouldn't be expected to remain _civil _during this dinner.

**.. ღ ..**

Natsume fidgeted in his seat, slouching as he placed his elbow on the arm rest and his cheek against his fist. Mikan was dangerously close to being late, and he glared out at the dining table as he continued to wait for her impending entrance.

"What a scary face," Ruka commented with a smile as he wandered in. Natsume grunted as he gestured to the chair on his left side, and his best friend took that as a hint that it was his chair for the evening. There were only three places set up despite the table's enormous length, and the ruler of Death had already taken his place at the end. The right was obviously reserved for his bride.

There was suddenly a commotion by the double doors behind them, and they watched in surprise as they burst open. A gaggle of maids came stumbling in, tugging along someone in the middle impatiently. At the sight of their King, they abruptly paused and bowed so low their noses could touch their knees. But Natsume's eyes were only for Mikan.

She had let her hair down. That was the only thought running through his mind as he took in her appearance, and he was rather smug when he realized his previous assumption had been correct; she _did _look gorgeous. The locks had become wavy from the tight ponytails, and they curled at the ends to give a more sophisticated look. He barely spared a glance at her body, though. Yes, he was quite content to learn his taste in dresses suited her so well, but he hadn't taken her for such crude purposes as to leer at her non-existent figure. Instead, he found himself entranced by how her cheeks flushed an attractive pink when she caught his eyes with her own.

"You may leave," he ordered the maids flippantly, his gaze planted on Mikan. They hastened to bow and retreat on his command, ignoring the way the demigoddess reached out for them helplessly to not abandon her there. One of them paused just before she exited, sending Natsume an apologetic look.

"My apologies, Lord Natsume. We could not talk her out of her polka dotted undergarments, but I hope that does not spoil the wedding night for you." And then she retreated, shutting the doors behind her.

Mikan could have just _died_. As it was, she caught the glint of amusement in Natsume's eyes and wished nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow her whole, right then and there – _anything _to get her out of this mortifying situation. And the entire debacle was only made that much worse when someone coughed awkwardly, and she realized they were not alone in the room. Instead, a handsome blond looked back in his chair and sent her a sheepish smile, his cheeks bright red in embarrassment for her sake.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot," Natsume spoke up lazily, ignoring the tense atmosphere. He gestured to the open chair on his right. "Take your seat so we can start our dinner."

She sent him a horrible glare and stomped to the indicated seat, sniffing haughtily as she tucked herself in. Then, ignoring his irritated glance, she turned her attention to the man she had never seen before, who looked a _lot _more pleasant than her captor. Sticking out a hand, she said, "I'm Mikan. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Ruka," he offered in return with a sincere smile. He took her hand into his own and, instead of shaking it like she had expected, he kissed the back of her palm like the true gentleman he was. Mikan seemed to lose her breath for a moment, much to his amusement, but he dropped it instantly when he caught sight of Natsume's scowl. "It's, um, nice to meet you, too," he ended his greeting hastily.

Mikan, who seemed to have realized the god's intervention, huffed in his direction. What right did he have to think he could control her? Oh, right; his delusional right as the "husband."

Dinner was served not soon after. It seemed they had simply been waiting for her entrance to begin. Only the three of them sat at the overly large table, and it would have seemed a rather lonely arrangement had Mikan not been more preoccupied with the awkward air about them. Ruka seemed determined to keep his gaze on the table, and Natsume was no help in the socializing department. So she took matters into her own hands.

"So, Ruka," she began slowly, and both men gave her their attention, "am I right to think that you're the same ferryman everyone tells me about when they mention the Underworld?" She eyed him carefully, wondering if she could eventually win him over to her side. She would need his help, after all, to cross the deadly river only he had mastered.

He chuckled, nodding his head. "Yes, that's me. Though I can't imagine why anyone would be bothering to mention me. My part in the Underworld is very small. It's mostly Natsume here that people focus on."

"That's not true." Mikan was shocked to hear Natsume pitch into the conversation, his words a menacing growl. Not to mention, he seemed to finally have cracked through his aloof mask in order to send Ruka a disapproving glance for his self-demeaning words. "You do plenty."

It was a small gesture, but Mikan carefully took notice of how Ruka flushed happily at his words. It was surprising, to say the least, that her captor would even go out of his way to compliment another. From what she had observed so far, he obviously didn't spare much thought to other's feelings. But the two were obviously very close, having spent centuries together. The reminder made her stomach drop; the chances of winning him over were pathetically low, then, because he seemed the type to remain admirably loyal to his friend.

Servants stalked into the dining room soon, rolling out carts of steaming food. Mikan's mouth watered at just the sight of it; she hadn't eaten since that afternoon, after all, and normally she would have stuffed her face twice since then. The aroma was delicious, and her stomach gave an unladylike growl. It was just lucky no one else heard it over the sounds of glass tinkling as the servants arranged the dishes and cutlery.

A maid, however, squashed her mood in just one instant.

"Oh!" she cried out excitedly, peering closely at Mikan's dress. Her pink locks bounced as she turned her attention to Natsume next. "Isn't this the wedding dress I altered, my lord?"

Mikan froze in her seat, her expression one of complete horror. She was _seriously _beginning to hate the maids around here. The worker seemed to have realized her mistake, at least, when she took notice of her ruler's suddenly stony expression.

"No, that is a different dress that simply looks similar," he corrected her. He muttered it out of the corner of his mouth, as if he didn't want his betrothed to hear the words that had her stomach clenching uncomfortably. But as she was sitting only two feet to his right, that was an impossible wish.

The pink-haired woman blushed at her mistake and quickly retreated to the kitchen. Mikan watched her go, her appetite long gone. Instead, her mouth felt like cotton, and even swallowing seemed a difficult task. Her heart hammered loudly in her ears.

"_Wedding dress_?" she squeaked, looking down at her clothing in terror. He had her practically dressed in the attire that would destroy her freedom and bind her to him forever?

"No," he snapped in return, though it wasn't annoyance that was fully directed at her, but rather the situation itself. "Didn't I just say it's not?"

"But there _is _a wedding dress?" she checked for clarification. She wasn't even sure why she bothered to ask when she _really _didn't want to hear the answer. She was just digging her own grave by doing so, as well as feeling exceedingly sick, but it slipped out before she could stop herself. Apparently, she was a masochist. And if that wasn't bad enough, she asked just about the most irrelevant question next. "And it's _black?_"

"This is the Underworld, the land of the dead," Natsume explained stiffly. "Did you expect a white dress? It is only fitting that the dress would be black."

Ruka loudly clattered his spoon against his bowl of soup, slurping loudly to act as if he couldn't hear their discussion. His ears had turned red from getting caught in the middle of this, and he was sincerely regretting agreeing to this dinner with his friend. He should have known it would turn out this way, considering Natsume _had _taken the girl without any warning.

In an attempt to control the atmosphere, the God of Death reached for a dish at the middle of the table, proceeding with his dinner as if nothing had happened. But his bride sat frozen in her seat, trying to process everything she had just heard with a stupid look that clearly said she had checked out for the moment. In fact, her eyes had glazed over, and she wasn't even blinking. Natsume shot her a look of contempt and dumped some food on her plate.

"Eat," he ordered, hiding his concern behind his deceivingly biting words. She was looking too pale for his liking. "You haven't even fully adjusted to the change in atmosphere down here. You need to eat to build up your strength."

She was still for a few more moments, and then, _very _slowly, her arm mechanically reached over and grabbed her spoon. She was clearly still spaced out from the shock, however, because she absentmindedly scooped some into her spoon and pressed it against her mouth. Suddenly, a random memory stirred in her head, almost as if her body realized the mistake she was about to make in her daze, and she remembered her brother's words of caution from a long time ago.

_Never eat food from the Underworld_, he had warned sternly, _or else you'll be trapped down there forever._

Immediately, she dropped her spoon as if it had scalded her, smacking her lips furiously in an attempt to spit off any food that might have smeared itself on her mouth. Both Ruka and Natsume looked over in alarm at her sudden mood swing, but she paid them no mind as she vigorously wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand.

"What's wrong?" Ruka asked, his voice dripping with concern. They had both suspended their dinner for the moment.

Mikan pointed a finger accusingly at her kidnapper. "This is Underworld food!" she shrieked, her eyes wide with dread at what she had almost done.

He raised an indifferent eyebrow. "And?"

"Don't think I don't know what happens when you eat food from here," she ranted, her cheeks flaming from her anger. She abruptly stood up, ignoring the chair as it scraped against her floor. "You're bound to stay here forever. You _jerk! _You were going to trap me down here, weren't you?"

Natsume smirked. "You already are," he pointed out casually, and she felt a fresh wave of anger wash over her. "I was just finalizing it. Now sit down and eat your dinner."

"No!" she shot back. He sent her a bored look, so she furiously carried on. "Unless it's food from the mortal world, I won't eat it."

"We don't have any food from the mortal world," Natsume replied, a hint of impatience edging into his voice.

"Then I'll starve," she remarked gravely. Her stomach churned in protest to the declaration, but she stood strong and steady. She may have been a glutton, but she knew how to tough things out when it was important.

Natsume scowled dangerously. "Stop speaking nonsense and just -"

"It's not _nonsense_," she argued hotly, getting more riled up by the second.

Ruka attempted to intervene, realizing that things seemed to be escalating out of hand. "Um...Natsume? Maybe you should just -"

"And you just expect everyone to drop their dinner to go hunt down mortal food for you?" Natsume hissed, ignoring his more rational best friend.

"No, I expected you to already have some," she answered snidely. "Did you really expect me to eat anything from your world?"

"As my wife-to-be, you are expected to."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. "I am _not_ going to be your _wife_," she breathed.

He simply smirked, a cocky grin that spoke volumes on his confidence over the matter. It was too much for Mikan to handle. After all the frustration and fear and anger she had felt because of him, that arrogant smirk was the last thing she wanted to see. She made her own choices, damn it, and she would _not_ be forced into this marriage!

"You're such a _jerk_!" she screamed. All of her emotions just snapped, and she pulled back her hand.

_Smack!_

She slapped him across the cheek with all the strength she could muster, almost unaware of what she was doing in her craze. His head whipped to the side from the force, but in his shock, he gave no other reaction. Even Ruka seemed at a loss for words.

After a pregnant pause, she hauled herself out the doors, leaving the two men sitting in stunned silence.

**.. ღ ..**

Mikan threw open the doors to the bedroom she had occupied previously. Panting from both the rush and the running she had done, she collapsed on the bed, lying on her stomach with her arms spread to her sides. Clutching the sheets tightly, she attempted to steady her drumming heart, still slightly shook up. Her body drooped, and she finally felt herself settle into a lulled state.

She'd just slapped her captor. Sure, it had felt exhilarating and oddly satisfying at the time, but the true extent of what she had just done was beginning to settle in. This was his domain, and she was trapped here as long as he wished it. Who was to say that he wouldn't exact revenge for her outburst? He probably was not used to others lashing out at him, considering his royal status, and he would most likely not take it lightly. And she had no way to flee, she realized with dismay, which meant she would have no way to escape should he try to return the favor.

A sob rose to the back of her throat, and though she tried her best to stifle it, the tears gushed out anyway. Suddenly, the extent of the day just settled on her body, crushing her with the overwhelming emotions. She cried out loudly, wetting the bedsheets as she thought of how unfair this was. She wanted to go home, to see her family, to be free. She didn't want to be trapped down here, engaged to an uncaring god who scared her. The minutes ticked by as she let herself cry out all the tears she could muster. Soon, her sobs dissolved into pathetic sniffles, and she managed to push herself up into a sitting position.

The doors to the room burst open abruptly, and she watched with fear coiling in her stomach as Natsume strode in, his face controlled. He did not spare her a glance as he wandered past the bed, where she sat staring at him, yet that somehow made him more frightening. But he even said absolutely nothing about her deliberate assault on his cheek, and she suddenly came to the realization that he was purposely ignoring her. In fact, she was aghast to understand that he had probably finished his dinner first, not even bothering to hunt her down and putting his own comfort first. She glared at his back heatedly, irritated by his cold demeanor.

"What do you want?" she snapped, crossing her arms and letting out a huff. It was absolutely ridiculous to feel cheated, especially since she had wanted nothing more than for him to pay her no interest all along. But she did.

"This is my room," he answered breezily, heading towards a cabinet nestled against the wall that was most likely his wardrobe.

She hadn't thought of that, and she felt herself blush sheepishly. "Oh." Avoiding his gaze, she slid off the bed and bit her lip uncertainly. "Um, then, where do I stay?"

He paused at her words, and she noticed with confusion that he had raised both his eyebrows questioningly. Turning back to his closet, he gave an apathetic shrug. "You stay here, of course."

"You mean, with _you_?" she burst out. "No!"

"Where else are you planning to stay?" he asked, amused by her insistence to be difficult. And then, giving no thought whatsoever to their tension, he stripped off his shirt. Mikan was irked to notice that his body was physically perfect, but she pushed that thought aside in favor of yelping in shock.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, inching away from him in disgust.

He rolled his eyes. "It gets hot at night, so I sleep without a shirt." He tossed it into his closet, shutting the doors afterwards and stalking to the bed lazily. The closer he came, the farther Mikan stepped from the bed, until she found her back pressed against a wall on the opposite end of the room.

"What are you planning to do over there?" he asked with humor in his eyes. He paused just before climbing onto the mattress, and instead took a step towards her.

"There's no way I'm sleeping with you," she snapped back, wrapping her arms around herself protectively.

He smirked devilishly, taking another step towards her. She came to the horrible realization that she couldn't back up any more, though she still tried to blend into the wall behind her. Natsume's smirk widened, reaching his eyes now and giving him the look of a troublemaker. Purposely slow, he came closer and closer, until he was standing toe-to-toe with her.

"Stop being so difficult," he murmured. And before she could react, he abruptly grabbed her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder.

"Hey! Let me _go._" She fussed and pounded his back, but he ignored her as he carried her to what was now their bed. Acting as if he wasn't carrying a ridiculously heavy load with just one arm, he crawled onto the mattress and set her down on her side. Before she could bounce off and make her escape, however, he grabbed onto her wrist so tightly that, no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't fight it.

He laid down on his side with her wrist still in his grip, and then jerked her down. With a cry of surprise, she collapsed on his chest, and he took advantage of the position by wrapping his arm around her waist and effectively locking her in place.

"Just go to sleep, idiot," he muttered, but he was obviously amused by the entire debacle. The only light in the windowless room came from a fireplace, and with a wave of his hand, Natsume quelled the flames using his powers of fire control. The room went pitch black, and for the first time, Natsume settled in to sleep with his betrothed nestled in his arms.

**.. ღ ..**

It was dark. One second she'd been struggling against this infuriating man, and the next, she was surrounded by nothing but black. She gulped heavily, trying to stop her heart from beating in her ears. No such luck.

Natsume had already seemed to easily fall into a restful state, and she didn't want to clue him into her sudden weakness. Perhaps he had already heard her heartbeat against his chest, since she was pressed against him so tightly, but she still hoped fruitlessly. She just focused on breathing steadily.

The darkness surrounded her, choking her violently and hitching her throat. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but the color of death. Even her hand was impossible to see in this blinding room, and that was more frightening than anything. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe in, and no matter how hard she tried, her lungs seemed to be shriveling up, begging her for air.

Panic set in almost immediately. Her body screamed at her for the slightest ray of light, but there was none. She didn't dare move, she was so frightened, and the frozen terror was all too familiar.

"Mikan," Natsume's voice suddenly broke through the darkness, and it sounded concerned. It was the only break from the pitch black, and she desperately clung to it. "Mikan, are you..._shaking_?"

She swallowed several times to unhitch her throat, but her voice still came out sounding choked and oh, so small. "I-I'm afraid of the dark," she admitted.

There was a heavy silence, and then he breathed out deeply in aggravation. "For gods' sake..."

Suddenly, the fireplace ignited again, and he dropped his hand from the air. At the reappearance of the orange light, she felt her body unfreeze, enough for her to peek up at him. He gazed down at her, his crimson eyes ablaze.

"You should have said so, idiot," he grumbled, sounding extremely put out by her lack of hindsight. Even so, his hand absentmindedly settled on her back, and he began to soothingly run it up and down, up and down, up and down...

Mikan closed her eyes, letting him calm her into a sense of security. She finally relaxed against him, no longer so rigid. Her body was still in an uncomfortable position, of course; she was splayed sideways on the bed, her front half crouched on his bare chest with his arm resting on her. Oh, and she was still wearing the dress.

But rather than gripping her waist tightly to prevent escape, Natsume was consoling her with tender strokes. She could have easily broken away from him now to escape, but she didn't even try. She liked being where she was for the time being, even if it was next to her captor. It was the safest she had felt since arriving in this world of death. Falling under the spell of his gentle comfort, Mikan finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

The fireplace burned for her the entire night.

* * *

We finally see a tender moment between the two :) Oh, and just so you know, I can't _stand_ weepy heroines with no backbones or independence. So don't expect Mikan to stay so mopey throughout all this. But considering the situation, she's allowed a free pass this once :P

Next chapter: A tour of the Underworld, meeting Sumire, a brother's desperate search, and...what's this? Could Mikan be seeing a _non_-monster side to Natsume? o.O Find out next time on _Forbidden_!

Surprisingly, I don't have anything else to say. So, I'll see you all next chapter, or when you drop me a line on the way out :D


	3. Chapter 3

Well, look who decided to come crawling back with an update, holding onto the useless hope that people would still want to read this :P Seriously though, I'm really, _really _sorry! I'll get to the excuses later, after you've read the chapter and I've answered all my awesome anon readers:

**Xyrhyn: **You're very welcome :) And thank _you_ for the review. But you shouldn't apologize for not seeing my message. I understand, and I'm completely fine with replying this way from now on if you would like me to. And in case you still haven't seen my reply to your first review, it said: "Oh, me too! I actually learned of it all the way back in sixth grade, when we did our Greek unit. We all went around dressed like the "gods" for a day and put on plays for the school about Greek heroes :P (I played Athena and Perseus' wife, in case you were wondering ^^). And I've always been fascinated since then. Anyway, I'll try my best to update regularly! But I'm happy to hear you like it so far :D"

**Suigintou: **Yup, things are finally getting a little fluffy! And I'm glad you feel the same way about Mikan; for me, it always ruins the story if the main character does nothing but stand there and cry, or wait for someone to save them :/ But you don't have to thank me for replying! In return, I thank you for reviewing in the first place :D

**kim: **I'm sorry, but I don't quite understand your question. If you're wondering why Mikan is engaged to Natsume even while she's a demigoddess, then my reply is: why not? I mean, the gods and goddesses had marriages, and even a demi- could live a normal life and have a spouse. But if you're wondering why Mikan doesn't refuse the engagement, then it's because she knows it's not something she can turn down so easily. It's not that she and Natsume are legally binded already, but that she knows he refuses to let her go from the Underworld at all. She's trapped down there because of his feelings for her – though she doesn't know that – and it seems the only way out really would be to marry him. Though she won't agree without a fight! So I hope that answers your question. If not, I'd be happy to clear up anything that I didn't get to :)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters.**

* * *

Mikan wasn't quite sure what woke her up in the morning. The fireplace was still the only source of light, and it was burning significantly less than when she'd fallen asleep, possibly from lack of fuel. Perhaps her body had reached its required time of sleep, because her eyes simply snapped open, and she came to a very uncomfortable conclusion.

It was _hot_. Someone could have boiled an egg in there, that's how hot it was. She felt sweat clinging to her skin, making her rather irritable. Her dress hung off of her in an extremely uncomfortable way, and she wished for nothing more than to take it off and burn the atrocity. Natsume had not been joking the previous night.

At the thought of him, she immediately whipped her gaze to the god she had slumbered with. The two were still in the same position they had drifted off in, and she was curious to see how he had fared throughout the night. But she found him already awake and staring down at her, his crimson eyes wide with curiosity because he had raised both his eyebrows.

The first thing he did was tentatively sniff the air, smirk with mirthful humor, and tell her flatly, "You stink."

Heat flew to her cheeks in response. "Sh-shut up!" she cried, her voice shrill. Pouting from his complete lack of tact – as well as her own self-conscious thoughts – she wrenched herself away from his hold. "It's hot in here, and you didn't give me a chance to change last night. Why doesn't this place have windows, anyway?"

He grinned at her display of anger, especially how she folded her arms and looked away determinedly. She really wasn't as menacing as she would have liked to think she was. It was part of what drew him to her; that innocence of hers was not something found so easily in his dreary life, especially when he had passed judgment on heinous criminals for centuries. It was something to be preserved and nurtured, and though he knew he was _far _from the person who could do so, his own selfish reasons wouldn't allow him to let her go so easily.

"I told you it gets hot," he replied with a shrug, trying to play off the entire argument. Propping himself on his elbows, he sent her a smirk. "That's why I take off my shirt."

"Well, it's not like I can just take off _my_ clothes whenever I feel like it," she quipped back heatedly, watching as he pulled himself up and stretched his arms above his head. He paused, however, to flash her a devilish grin.

"Of course you can. I have _no_ problem with that."

Mikan's jaw dropped at his answer. Crossing her arms over her chest, she kicked away from him on the mattress and screeched, _"P-pervert!"_

He shrugged shamelessly, finally slipping out of bed to uncoil his muscles. Ignoring her for the moment, mostly just to aggravate her nerves, he stalked over to his wardrobe and began to rustle through the contents. It consisted of mostly black or other dark garments, this being the Underworld and all, but he took his time picking something just to rile his betrothed up even more.

"I suppose you would like to bathe?" he asked, sighing as if the request was one of the most troublesome tasks anyone could ask of him. She glared at his back for his tone, though he missed it, and sniffed haughtily.

"Yes," she answered with mock politeness. The tension in the room was thick, despite his blasé attitude about the whole matter. "I would appreciate it."

"Fine," he agreed, finally procuring a new robe to wear and slinging it over his arm. "I'll be going in first because I have things to attend to, but the maids will come in to help you after –"

"_No!"_ she suddenly yelled, all pretense for her anger gone as she looked completely horrified at the proposal. She must have realized how uncivilized it all seemed when he peered at her, startled at the outburst, because she blushed deeply and turned quite meek all of a sudden. "Not the maids."

His face was the picture of amusement. Thinking back to the humiliating public announcement about her undergarments at dinner and the wedding dress fiasco, he supposed it made sense that she had not taken a liking to his workers. That wouldn't do. No matter how much he itched to fire anyone who made her so uncomfortable – taking _himself _out of that equation, of course – workers were not so easy to find these days, especially for a place so gloomy as this. He would simply have to introduce her to maids that were less invasive, and perhaps then she would start to accept this new lifestyle.

"All right, then," he agreed with a shrug, finally pulling out a robe to wear for the day. "I'll warn the women to keep their distance for the time being."

"And don't think that means you can find a loophole and send in _male _servants instead," she shot back in warning. She wouldn't put it past him to do just that, mainly to enjoy watching her flounder and make a fool of herself.

Natsume scowled dangerously, jealousy clawing at him at just the thought of other men seeing her during her intimate moments, and scoffed, "Silly woman. What kind of husband would deliberately keep his wife surrounded by men all day?"

"The kind that's not _really _my husband," she sniffed, still touchy on the subject. He thought over that for a moment, but rather than get angry, he simply huffed a small chuckle. She was so endearingly stubborn that he couldn't bring himself to snap at the normally touchy subject. Besides, he could never have fallen for someone too horribly timid to stand up to him, or even speak her mind. A woman so weak would never survive in his land, anyway.

There was no doubt in his mind that Mikan would be perfect as his Queen.

**.. ღ ..**

He emerged from his bath much later, dressed in his royal attire and looking too handsome for Mikan's tastes. It was unfair that someone so infuriating would be so good-looking!

Natsume caught her admiring him – but trying to hide it by shooting him an evil eye – and he smirked cockily. "If you would just accept your fate you could see what's _underneath_, too," he hinted smugly, and she blanched.

"I prefer higher ground myself," she retorted bitterly, glancing around at the underground room with distaste.

Natsume just shook his head at her display. "If you're going to be so difficult, then I suppose I've got no choice but to wait for now." She opened her mouth furiously to bark out scathing words, but he carried on before she could. "Breakfast takes place an hour after I wake up so I have enough time for my morning routine. Wash up and make sure you're dressed properly by that time." The door slammed shut behind him at those words.

"Yeah, well, it's not like I'm going to eat anything, anyway!" she yelled back, but there was no response from her captor.

Arguing aside, however, she really did feel sticky all over. And no matter how much she had glared at Natsume for his blunt words, she _did _smell awful. Taking advantage of the empty room and privacy, she scurried into the bathroom to see what sort of accommodations a ruler of the dead would have. To her delight, it was extremely gorgeous _and _sparkling clean.

"I guess there's _one _benefit to my kidnapper being royalty," she mused before shaking the words away, horrified with herself for even thinking them.

The tub had already been filled to the brim with hot water, and by the time she removed her clothes and threw them aside, it had reached the perfect temperature. As she sat down, Mikan realized that Natsume must have taken care to fill it for her before leaving, probably even paying mind to how hot she might have wanted it. Well, that was unexpectedly sweet of him...

_Stop thinking nice things about him, Mikan! _she furiously scolded herself, scrubbing at her arm harder than necessary to distract from the traitorous thoughts. It wouldn't do to start becoming used to the pompous man, or even all this gentle treatment. He was her _kidnapper_ first and foremost.

She heaved a sigh as she settled into the warm tub, watching the bubbles ebb away for the moment. Placing her head back against the porcelain, she let her thoughts wander further to the deadly god that had captured her just the day before. Despite the kindness he had showed her in the face of her fears, she could not fully trust him; the man she had met had been sadistic and arrogant, unable to sympathize with others' feelings. The previous night had been a moment of weakness, but now that she was awake and alert, she realized she could not allow it to happen again.

Her brother would have a fit if he was to learn that she had spent the night in his arms, and she could never bear his disappointment. He had always watched out for her best interests, so she felt that she owed him by listening to his advice and never letting another worm his way into her heart so easily. Such a person could not be trusted, he had taught her. Of course, she had never heeded his words and welcomed anyone who was willing to join her circle of friends, but this one time, she felt that his words were the wisest she had ever heard.

She was not sure what it was about Natsume that drew the maids towards him. They all seemed to jump at the chance to serve him properly, and even seemed to panic outright at the thought of displeasing him. It was not a _bad _feeling of anxiety; instead, they genuinely seemed to want to serve him to the best of their ability, so as not to disappoint him. Perhaps there was a part of him that she had never seen before that the maids found to be desirable, which was the reason for their allegiance. She had never met workers so diligent in their tasks than these.

"Why can't he take one of _them_ to be his _wife?_" she griped to herself, puckering her lips in a pout before dunking her head under the water and washing out her hair. She was sure that half of them would promptly switch their right _arms _to be in her position, while she wanted nothing more than to get away from him. Oh, the irony.

And Ruka was another matter entirely. Such a kind and gentle-looking man could not possibly have followed his so-called best friend if not for some hidden trait that brought them together. How else could a man as nice as him stand a god as pompous as Natsume? Maybe there was something she was missing.

"Mikan-sama," someone suddenly called for her, and she froze. That couldn't possibly be...a _maid, _could it? He had promised her they would stay away!

Wrapping her arms around her knees, she cautiously said, "Yes?"

"We have a warm towel for you," another voice cried out. There were two of them! "Why don't you come on out, and we can help you prepare for breakfast?"

"Um...Thank you, but I don't need any help," she replied weakly, curling into herself and laying her head on her knees. Perhaps if she stayed long enough, they would simply leave. It was a childish notion, but she was in no mood to deal with more workers after all the encounters she had faced with them so far, even _if _these two sounded more friendly.

"That's alright, then," they answered, and she snapped her head up in surprise. "We'll just leave it in the closet. When you're finished dressing, we'll be waiting in the bedroom to dry your hair."

Mikan heard the closet door shut, though she could hardly believe her ears. There were maids that were willing to heed her words and leave her to her own devices? Where had they been _yesterday, _the most traumatizing day of her life, when she had needed kind souls to be her friends? Then again, this could have simply been a single pass, and they could very well still overwhelm her with their presence afterwards.

She stepped out hesitantly, and when she had reached the bathroom door, she peeked into the closet. It was empty, as they had said it would be. She even spied the towel they had offered hanging from the doorknob, and after looking left and right tentatively – as if they would suddenly jump out at her – she grabbed it and quickly wrapped it around her figure.

There certainly were two maids waiting for her when she finally stepped out, though she was surprised there were _only _that many. Yesterday, she'd been bombarded with a group of them, and she had been fearing the same for today. At least Natsume had listened to _half _of her request.

"Did you enjoy your bath, Mikan-sama?" one of them asked once catching sight of her, and the two bounced over happily. She nodded shyly, though once she took a closer look, she realized that she had definitely seen these two before.

"I'm Nonoko," the one with blue hair introduced herself, dipping into a quick curtsy. If her appearance hadn't been enough, Mikan definitely remembered her from the sound of her voice. She had been part of the gaggle of maids from yesterday, and she'd been the one to guilt her into abandoning her hiding spot in the closet.

"And I'm Anna." The second maid also curtsied, but hers was significantly lower, almost as if she was asking for forgiveness. When she snapped back up, Mikan took note of the ashamed look on her face. It confused her for a moment, and then she remembered: This was the girl who had altered her _wedding dress._

"I'm so sorry about yesterday, my lady," she carried on, her voice dropping to an embarrassed murmur. "I didn't mean to be so inconsiderate to your feelings, and I felt so ashamed when I learned that my words had spoiled your dinner."

"O-oh, it was no trouble," Mikan quickly intervened, shaking her hands and chuckling nervously. The girl's pretty face almost made her blush, and she couldn't bring herself to scold her for her mistake. It's not as if she had done it purposely, after all.

The maid still bashfully scuffed her toe against the ground. "We should dress you for breakfast," she muttered, obviously trying to distract her. Seeing this, Mikan nodded and smiled at the girl, oddly determined to befriend the two now that she knew how friendly they were.

Natsume had apparently sent for undergarments for her, and the maids blushed furiously as they handed her a pair. Mikan took one look at the black and white polka-dotted pattern and grit her teeth in anger. He was so obviously making fun of her, especially as she had no choice but to accept, but it infuriated her to admit that she actually _liked _them. They were cute.

They had also brought her yet another dress to wear, this time a pretty _white _color. It was sleeveless and didn't quite make it to her knees, but a gold strap around her waist made the loose garment hang off of her in an attractive way. She admired herself from all angles in a mirror while the two maids giggled at her delight and went to work on her hair.

"I assumed you'd prefer a brighter color," Anna told her while running a comb through her damp locks. "Lord Natsume was not very pleased, but I convinced him that something colored more lightly might suit your tastes better."

"Well, you were right!" Mikan agreed cheerfully, flashing her a brilliant smile. But as she picked at the dress, her lips thinned into a straight line. "Why does _Natsume _get to decide what I wear, anyway?" she grumbled to herself. "He doesn't own me. I shouldn't need his permission to wear something white."

The maids, who had each taken a side of her head to brush, paused to send each other worried glances. Mikan was too lost in her musings to notice, and they slowly returned to their work. Even so, Anna couldn't resist asking what had been on her mind.

"Mikan-sama," she began uneasily, "do you not _like_ Lord Natsume?"

"Of course not!" she cried in return, kicking her legs off the side of the bed. "For gods' sake, he took me against my will and won't let me leave! Why does everyone think that's _okay?"_

"Well, it's not that we think it's _okay_," she answered softly. "We just think that you should give him a chance. We know he doesn't leave much of a first impression–"

"That's an understatement," she cut across. "There's no way that I'm giving Lord Jerk a chance after the way he treated me. He kidnapped me in the middle of the day, with no thought to my family or my life at all, and he was such a jerk about it all. Ever since I arrived, it's just been one humiliation after the next. And I don't mean any offense to you two, but I asked him to please keep the maids away from me, and he couldn't even grant me this one request!"

She breathed deeply after her outburst, her cheeks flushed from getting so worked up. It had been a long time since she had rambled a long list of complaints this way, and though it made her feel like a pouting child, she also couldn't help but feel slightly better about her burdens.

Once again, the two maids exchanged a look behind her, silently communicating with one another over how to answer. Anna glanced at Nonoko pointedly, who sighed as she returned to her task and leaned towards their charge.

"You know, Mikan-sama," she began soothingly, "we weren't sent here just to make you uncomfortable for Natsume-sama's amusement. In fact, he told us he didn't plan on sending anyone, per your request. But the halls of this castle are long, identical and extremely confusing. Many heroes who've sneaked in have gotten lost and perished just for that reason. So he ordered us to stick close and be your guides."

"And he wasn't keen on sending _me_, either," Anna added. "He claimed he only needed one person, but I could tell he was actually worried over how you would react after the trouble I caused at dinner. But I insisted, because I hadn't apologized properly yet, so he gave me permission as long as we didn't overwhelm you."

"I think he really does care about you," Nonoko insisted. "He's just not very used to showing it."

Mikan shook her head firmly. "If he cared about me, he would do as I say and just let me go! Shouldn't he want me to be happy?" She refused to budge on this matter.

"Of course he does! But the thing is, _he _wants to be the one to _make _you happy." And both maids smiled at her warmly on behalf of their master.

Mikan almost blushed at their answer. Natsume, trying to make anyone besides himself happy? It was impossible, she convinced herself. That jerk only thought about himself. She refused to let herself think otherwise, no matter how sincere the two maids seemed.

It was time for breakfast much too soon after that, and though Anna and Nonoko hurried her along cheerfully, she still found herself dreading the awaiting ordeal with each step she took. She wasn't sure she was ready to face the pompous jerk waiting for her on the other side of the double doors.

**.. ღ ..**

Life had practically ended for Tsubasa.

Only yesterday, he'd received word that his beloved sister – so innocent that she could never even hurt a _fly_ – had been taken hostage by the same pompous god his uncle had refused to detain. Needless to say, things had spiraled downhill since that fateful moment.

The task of informing his parents had landed on _his _shoulders, and that had been such an unbearable conversation. How did one go about telling a mother and father that their own daughter may never see the light of day again? That she'd been captured by one of the most deadliest gods of them all, who controlled the one domain no one else could even hope to conquer?

Yuka had been devastated, and upon hearing the news, she collapsed on her trembling knees, unable to even hold herself up any longer. Izumi had to jerk forward and catch her before she crashed to the ground, but his usually sunny expression had changed to a somber one, and it did not suit his young face. His mother clapped a hand over her mouth and wept, and Tsubasa could only clench his fists and stare at the ground, feeling horribly useless for the first time in his life.

"I'll find her," he promised, gulping heavily to brace himself. When he caught their eyes with his own, his face burned with fueled determination. "I'll bring her back. I promise."

Such a task was easier said than done. Despite how many of the other almighty beings had already acknowledged the dilemma caused by Mikan's capture, most still refused to side with him and help his efforts to bring her back. Some simply cowered at the thought of Natsume's rage, while others could not be bothered with his emotional outbursts. And after the display they had made, Tsubasa was reluctant to even turn to them ever again.

He would just have to do this himself, he decided. After all, the promise he had made to his distraught mother had been his own, and he intended to complete it with his own strength. And that was how he ended up facing the dreary cave opening in the mortal realm that would lead him into the land of the dead – alone.

It was a common entrance into the deadly Underworld, despite being surrounded by nothing but a vast forest of trees, and the gods themselves had watched many legendary heroes enter it as they planned to outsmart the powerful Lord of the Dead. It had always been a laughable notion that the mortals would think themselves superior to a powerful being, but as he stood before the gaping, dark entrance, Tsubasa couldn't help but feel insignificantly _human_.

He pulled back the hood of his cloak, setting a determined expression on his otherwise awed face. This might not be so difficult, he attempted to convince himself. After all, his own realm of shadows was a domain so similar, so he had much less to fear than any other fool who ventured into this heavily guarded territory. _And_ he was immortal. Those were undoubtedly reassuring thoughts, and Tsubasa marched into the cave with much more confidence than before. The one thought he let himself focus on was saving his precious sister.

The sun was shining brightly overhead in the mortal sky, but the minute he took one step into the chamber, he found himself surrounded by a treacherous darkness that threatened to engulf him. This was, without a doubt, a supernatural place. With each step he took, it seemed that the light grew farther and farther away, until all he saw was black and the only way he marked his path was with his own footsteps.

_Mikan is afraid of the dark, _he remembered. His baby sister could never have been happy here. And the thought that she might be trapped somewhere in here, terrified out of her mind, made him quicken his steps into a slow jog. After what felt like an endless amount of time, Tsubasa finally noticed a small ray of light up ahead, and he quickened his steps until he had burst into an eerie clearing he had heard much about.

The river Styx was a terrifying body of water. Shrouded by caves and surrounded by nothing but darkness, it glowed a heinous yellow that seemed to emphasize the appearance of death in the area. Dark figures surrounded the water, seeming even more dark and foreboding when only the river's yellow light marked their outlines.

_Mikan is on the other side of this, _he reminded himself, taking a deep, reassuring breath. He held it in for a moment as he wondered whether his little sister had crossed this terrifying water, and then let it out.

If he squinted his eyes, he could make out a definite path on the ground. Really, it was just a patch of land that was leveled and steadier than the surroundings, but instincts told him to walk on it, and it would somehow take him where he needed to go. He had never been to the Underworld before, nor had he listened to the messengers as they spoke of their trips here, thinking it unnecessary, but he _did _know very well the value of instincts.

All the tales he had heard spoke of a small ferry that could take you across to the other side, so he had to find it if he could ever hope to reach his estranged family member. And he so hoped he would.

Cautiously, while keeping an eye out for any sign of movement, he carried on down the makeshift path.

**.. ღ ..**

"I'm not eating," Mikan announced the second she was inside the dining room, huffing angrily at her kidnapper.

Natsume scowled at her as she took a seat on his right once again, and his eyes trailed disapprovingly over her white dress. It was too unlike his own dark robes, and he didn't like how she was so attached to the world above.

"Starving yourself isn't going to solve any problems," he growled at her. It wasn't particularly _her _fault he was in such a bad mood; he was simply irritated by a few of the errands he'd had to run that morning, and the gloom had followed him to the dining table.

"Trapping myself down here _definitely _isn't going to solve anything," Mikan countered, folding her arms and looking away pointedly.

"Maybe not for _you," _he mumbled under his breath, but it was just his luck that she heard and stuck her tongue out at him. He just rolled his eyes.

At least they were alone, he mused, taking a look around the nearly deserted table. Ruka hardly ever joined him for breakfast, since his work started so early in the morning. Most souls happened to need a crossing by dawn, since evil loomed the streets of Earth at night more than any other time of the day. His friend's breakfast meant hastily stuffing his face while dressing himself for the day, and then making a beeline for the river. And there was simply no one else Natsume wanted to invite to his dining table.

Mikan seemed bothered, however, since it meant there was no distraction to keep her from focusing on him. She simply tried her best to avoid eye contact and pretend everything else in the room interested her much more, but he smugly took her restlessness to mean she just couldn't keep him out of her thoughts.

"If you keep fidgeting like that, you're going to make a hole through the floor," he commented.

Before she could do much more than glare, the doors to the room swung open, and a handful of maids marched in, pulling a cart of food in front of them. Mikan recognized quite a few of them from last night and figured they were the kitchen staff, but there was also a young woman she had never seen before, with curly green hair and a rather mean tilt to her eyes.

The first thing she did was make a dash at Natsume.

"My lord!" she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she looked him up and down. Red spread across her cheeks in a blush.

"Sumire," the death god sighed, eyeing the woman with irritation that was obvious also in his voice. "What are you doing here? You're not a maid."

"Oh, but I live to serve you, my lord," she cooed, watching him rather hungrily. Her eyes trailed to his hair, and she lunged forward. "You have some hair out of place!"

Natsume knew from experience that it was no use trying to stop her, so he let her set his hair as she liked and bared with it for the time being.

Mikan, however, watched them with wide eyes, scandalized despite herself. She couldn't _believe _this woman. Who threw themselves at others so blatantly, or played with other people's hair so early in the morning? And Natsume made absolutely no move to stop her, much to her fury. He wouldn't have let a second go by without making some snappy remark if it was her instead.

_He should just marry her, then, _she whined in her head. _At least his hair would always be perfectly styled that way._

"Um, Mikan-sama?" Anna called to her gently, wondering just what had caused the girl to make such a pouty face.

Mikan jerked out of her thoughts to find the maid watching her carefully, probably wondering why she had her head in the clouds. It made her flush under her gaze, and she quickly replied, "Yes?"

"Oh, it was nothing. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And, um, I've finished serving you your breakfast."

Mikan looked down at her plate to find that it had been piled on with scrumptious smelling food, and it made her mouth water just looking at it. This was the longest she had ever gone without eating something, and during her bath, her stomach had started churning something fierce.

_No!_ She shook her head, refusing to let her will bend just because of one good-looking meal._ I can resist this!_

She flashed Anna an apologetic smile, who had no doubt worked hard to cook this for her. "I'm sorry, Anna, but I can't eat this. I can't eat food from the Underworld."

The maid seemed confused, and her eyes flashed towards Natsume for a second. "But this isn't Underworld food?"

Mikan blinked, peering down at her plate more closely. It definitely looked like food she'd eaten above, and was slightly different from what had been served to Natsume in both scent and appearance. "It's not?"

"Didn't Lord Natsume tell you? He sent us to fetch you food from the human world last night."

"_When?_"

"Right after dinner. After you left." Anna's face puckered in thought. "Did he really not tell you?"

Mikan dared to gaze towards Natsume, who was attempting to eat his own food while ignoring the woman who kept jabbering away. Was that what had taken him so long to return to his own room last night? Not finishing his dinner, but securing her nourishment first?

Her cheeks heated up as she jabbed at her plate with a fork. "It looks delicious."

"Thank you," Anna chirped with a cheerful smile, and then she proceeded to exit with the other maids to leave them to their meal. Meanwhile, the green-haired intruder had taken a seat on Natsume's left and seemed to be refusing to leave.

The three were left alone in the dining room with an awkward air about them, and it didn't help that the only sounds were dishes clinking and the two of them swallowing. Mikan had trusted Anna, who didn't look as if she had told a single lie in her life, and had eaten her breakfast to find that it had all the nostalgic tastes of home. But even the most comforting food couldn't help her bear the uncomfortable quiet, and she finally broke and turned to their guest.

"Are you not eating?" she asked in worry. The girl seemed content just to watch Natsume get through his meal with stars in her eyes. In fact, she had not glanced Mikan's way even once.

She did now, though, and sniffed haughtily at the question. "I already ate," was her clipped reply, as if she couldn't be bothered to answer and was only doing it to be polite.

Mikan didn't let it get to her. "What's your name? I'm Mikan."

"I know." The girl shot her a withering look, appraising her up and down and being unable to stop the distasteful curl of her upper lip. Her nose was so high in the air, she could have drowned had it been raining in the room. It deflated Mikan somewhat, and she retreated back into her food.

"Shouda Sumire," Natsume suddenly cut in, and both girls glanced at him in surprise to find that he was watching Mikan from the corner of his eyes. "That's her name. She's Goddess of Witchcraft, and she has a home here, outside of the palace."

"O-Oh," Mikan replied, nodding hesitantly. She hadn't expected Natsume to help her out.

Sumire apparently hadn't either, and she looked extremely annoyed. "Well, who cares about that?" she quipped with a toss of her curls.

"How's your food?" Natsume asked Mikan, ignoring Sumire's attempts to grab his attention. It made the goddess glare at her that much more heatedly.

"It's fine," Mikan replied truthfully.

"Of course it would be!" Sumire interrupted in one last attempt to grab his attention. "The cooks Lord Natsume hired can only be the best!"

She was ignored by the object of her affections, who had eyes only for his bride. "Not going to slap me again, are you?"

Mikan narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Only if you deserve it!"

"And do I deserve it?" he asked, his voice cool with amusement and his lips twisted into a smirk.

"Not right _now_, no," she admitted quietly, pushing her plate around her food. She _wanted _to say he did, but not when he'd granted her wish. He could have very well refused her human food, letting her starve until she couldn't resist and trapped herself down here like he wished, but he hadn't. He'd done it in a roundabout way that had flared her temper and had embarrassed her at dinner, and in front of Ruka, but he'd been thinking about her.

"Thanks," she mumbled quietly, keeping her eyes firmly on the table.

"_Hmm? _What was that?"

"_Nothing._"

**.. ღ ..**

Breakfast, Mikan realized, would have been much more enjoyable had Sumire not been there.

It was a horrible thing to think, but by the end of their meal, she didn't even regret it. The girl was beyond rude! She was fixated on the death god, giggling and flirting like nobody's business, and absolutely _refused _to acknowledge Mikan's existence. She was twice as irritated since their little exchange, when her lord had ignored her, and she sent the demigoddess condescending smirks every now and then to make it clear she didn't particularly enjoy her company.

_Well, I don't enjoy her company, either! _Mikan fumed inwardly, watching her dutifully hand Natsume his napkin so he could wipe his mouth.

"What are your plans for today?" she asked him sweetly, leaning forward in her seat and batting her eyelashes.

He took his time wiping his mouth first. "I don't think that's your business, Shouda."

Her grim faltered for only a second before she started wringing her hands and tried again. "Well, yes, but -"

The doors to the dining room swung open just then, and to all of their surprise, Tobita Yuu came barreling in, panting for breath with his glasses askew. "Lord Natsume!" he squeaked, immediately kneeling before the god as beads of sweat pooled on his forehead. "There's an unstable soul that just passed the river, and he's causing a disturbance in the throne room! We need you immediately!"

Natsume's eyes narrowed in a flash, and he was out of his chair and out the doors in the same instance. Mikan barely had time to register it as Yuu hurried after him.

Sumire stood up too, her chair scraping against the floor. She followed their same direction, but before she could run out the doors, Mikan called out to her.

"Wait! What's going on? Where are you going?"

"I don't have time to explain!" she snapped while gritting her teeth. "If you want to see what's going on, then come with me!"

She jogged back just to grab her by the wrist and drag her out. Though Mikan protested at being jerked so harshly, she heedlessly followed the goddess, who seemed to know where she was going. They turned corners and ran down hallways that the demigoddess forgot the moment they had passed them, navigating through the confusing maze inside the palace.

They stopped outside another set of double doors, and Sumire pushed them open, pushing her inside and following after herself.

"This is the throne room," she hissed as the doors shut behind them. "We're on the balcony. Look down below."

And there was Natsume, watching the scene unfold before him with his eyebrows scrunched and his teeth bared back.

"What _is _that?" Mikan gasped when she saw just what was giving him trouble, but she didn't really need an answer. It was, obviously, an unstable soul.

A man in his early thirties stood in the middle of the room, his hands clutching his temples as if in pain. Mikan stepped back from the edge of the balcony, feeling a deep chill run down her spine as he hollered the same thing over and over at the top of his lungs.

"I'm_ dead, _aren't I!_ Where is this? _Is this_ Hell? I want my family. Bring them to me! I'm dead! _Which one of you sons of bitches _killed _me!_" _He fell to the ground on his knees, sobbing along with his screams.

Natsume didn't hesitate for much longer. A cool blankness passed over his face, as if he had steeled his resolve, and he marched straight up to the soul and knelt before him. The man looked up at him in shock, tears streaming down his face, and Mikan's fist flew to her face as she gasped when Natsume grabbed him roughly by the chin.

"Listen to me," he ordered calmly, his eyes boring into the man's terrified gaze. "Yes, you are dead. No, this is not Hell. You can't have your family. No one here killed you."

"How can he say it so _bluntly?_" Mikan whispered, afraid of the scene. What if the man lashed out at him?

Sumire shot her an irritated glance, her hands on her hips. "What's lying going to do? That soul was asking questions he wanted answers to, and Lord Natsume answered them for him. Was he supposed to wait until someone got hurt before explaining things?"

"He could have said it in a nicer way!" Mikan argued half-heartedly.

"Just because _you _would want to hear it nicely doesn't mean everyone _needs _to hear it nicely. That soul's not going to calm down until someone's tough on him. Lord Natsume was just reading the atmosphere." She huffed. "How do you expect to be _Queen _if you can't even react to the situation?"

Down in the room, Natsume snapped his fingers to Yuu, beckoning him forward without averting his gaze. The soul seemed to be staring into his eyes as if in a trance.

"Go into his mind," he ordered. "Find out what his family looks like, and show him an illusion of them until I can read his past."

Yuu immediately clapped his hands together, shut his eyes, and began muttering under his breath. Mikan noticed when the soul's eyes glazed over and he went slack, and it sent yet another shiver down her back. Was this the way Natsume had taken her to that meadow yesterday?

As the man dreamed of a reality that didn't exist, Mikan noticed when Natsume's eyes slowly darkened, until they were no longer crimson but almost a jet black. He looked soulless, empty, and she bit the back of her fist to keep from cringing at the terrifying sight.

"He's peering into his soul," Sumire whispered, watching with interest. She didn't seem phased even slightly by what was happening, and the demigoddess wondered just how many times this had happened before.

"Is that one of his powers?" she whispered back. "Like how he controls fire?"

Sumire shot her a sharp look. "He told you about that?" She nodded, though he had _shown _her rather than tell her, so the goddess huffed. "Well, then, yes. He has to pass judgement on everyone that passes through here, you know. So he can see into your soul, learn about all your memories, about every thought you've ever had, every decision you've ever made. Only a God of Death is given this power when they take the throne, so only Lord Natsume has this ability."

"How do you know he doesn't just use it against you anytime he doesn't trust you?" Mikan asked, wondering if he'd read her life without permission these past twenty-four hours.

Sumire shot her a nasty glare. "Excuse _you. _That is _not _what he uses his powers for; they're only for his duties. And besides, our lord would _never _betray our trust, so we don't betray his."

Mikan bit her bottom lip in slight shame. She hadn't meant to accuse him of anything. It had been an honest question. And that loyal reply had her thinking: Just _why _did the workers here trust their master so faithfully? Was there some side to him that she hadn't yet seen, or, she pondered, had she just been misinterpreting his actions all along?

Down below, Natsume snapped out of his trance, and his eyes reverted back to their normal shade in an instant.

"Stop," he ordered Yuu, his voice raspy. When the soul finally fell out of his daze, he steadied the man by his shoulders. "You're going to the Meadows," he told him calmly. "I've seen your past, and you did nothing to warrant sending you to Tartarus."

"B-But, my family..." he stuttered.

Natsume's features softened, perhaps out of pity or perhaps out of sympathy. He wasn't smiling, but he was also no longer frowning as heavily as before. It seemed to soothe the soul somewhat to see he obviously meant no harm.

"Your family can't come with you," he explained. "It's not their time just yet. Maybe they can join you some day, but let's hope it's peacefully in their sleep."

"A-And, how did I...?" He faltered.

Natsume's eyes hardened, and he shook his head just once. "I won't tell you. It's better not to know."

The soul slumped.

**.. ღ ..**

Yuu lead the dampened spirit away, assuring him feverishly that he would be happy in the Meadows. There were a lot of nice people gathered there, and the flowers were some of the prettiest.

Natsume waited until they were gone before swinging towards the balcony, his eyes locking onto the two women.

"You can come down now," he told them dryly, and they sheepishly headed down the staircase.

"Did you know we were there the entire time?" Mikan asked, folding her arms in embarrassment. She wondered just how much he had heard. Somehow, it didn't sit right with her to know he might have heard her accusing him.

"You weren't exactly being quiet about it," he scoffed. "I had bigger things to deal with than you, though."

"Of _course, _you did!" Sumire cooed, clapping her hands together as her eyes sparkled. "You handled that so _spectacularly, _my lord! As expected of you."

He rubbed his forehead hard, though it did nothing to ease the wrinkles around his eyebrows. "Don't you have duties to attend to, Sumire?" he growled.

The goddess pouted at the treatment, looking between one and the other, before bowing low. "Yes, my lord. _Humph!" _And with a huff she was gone, leaving the two of them alone in the throne room.

There was a moment of silence before Mikan spoke up, "Natsume?"

"Hn?"

"Why didn't you tell that soul how he died?"

He stared at her hard before rolling his eyes. "No need to give him nightmares."

"Was it _really _bad?" she wanted to know.

"Hn."

"Oh." She bit her lip, but smiled his way. "Then, that was really nice of you!"

He rolled his eyes again, harder than before and with much more disdain, but she didn't feel so much animosity in it. In fact, it made her giggle. For someone she'd always thought to be a pompous, arrogant jerk, he was surprisingly shy when it came to accepting genuine compliments. How unexpectedly cute.

"So," she chirped, dragging out the sound as she leaned forward, "what now?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You're going to willingly spend the day with me? Couldn't help falling for me a little, could you?"

She shoved his arm, annoyed by that smug little quirk of the lips he seldom went without. "As _if_. Don't let that fat head of yours get any bigger," she quipped, sticking out her tongue. "Anna and Nonoko just told me you were planning something, so I thought I'd ask so I can refuse you properly." She stuck out her tongue a second time for added measure.

"You won't," he remarked with a smirk, grabbing a strand of her hair between his fingers. "Lucky I cleared your schedule for you, because I'm taking you on a tour of your new home."

* * *

And there you have it, the chapter that was such a pain for me to write.

The reason, aside from me starting university and getting busy with my classes, is because this got really, _really_ long. Honestly, I cut out a lot and replanned a lot, until finally this was the result. And now, since I rearranged so much, I'm pretty sure there's going to be an extra chapter of this that I didn't originally plan for :/ But I'm really going to try and get back on track with the next chapter so I can end the rest of this the way I planned to!

Also, some of you might have noticed that this story's summary is a bit different. That's because one of my reviewers suggested I should tweak it, and I took her words to heart. If any of you still think it needs changes and can suggest a better one, I'm completely open to your ideas – or for the rest of the story, for that matter :) There's always room for improvement!

Next chapter: The actual tour of the Underworld, and we see where Tsubasa's journey takes him.

Thank you for being so patient with me, everyone~


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